November 30, 2011

I hope that all of you had a lovely Thanksgiving and weekend. We did. We had grand plans of painting the guest room, but that didn't happen. Instead we enjoyed a whole lot of being lazy. I have spent the last couple of days making up for that in the laundry room! But fortunately for me, I had worked ahead before Thanksgiving so it wasn't all bad.

Last year I only took one photo all day on Thanksgiving. The one that I scrapbooked in the post below. This year was pretty much the same. I took this one of Nathan stirring the custard for the pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving morning:

We all worked together to make the pie this year. I made the crust and Glen and the boys made the filling. Since it was just the four of us, and it has been that way for several years now, I take a very relaxed approach to making Thanksgiving dinner. So, yes, we made the pie the morning of Thanksgiving and when it was done, in went the turkey. =)

Notice Nathan's hand is blurred from stirring. This little guy never stops moving. Never. (Well, he's actually a very peaceful sleeper, but that's about the only time he is still). He never stops talking either. It is an interesting experience to have a child who is nothing like yourself. It's like I said a prayer for patience and instead of giving me a moment to practice that virtue, God gave me a person. But oh boy, is he cute.

The December gallery will go live tomorrow at Write.Click.Scrapbook., and I'll be back then to share my layout with you for this month. Right now, it's twenty minutes until the last episode of Whitechapel. I'm gonna go make myself a cup of decaf tea, pretend it's the real thing, and get cozy under a blanket to enjoy the season finale. See you tomorrow!

November 23, 2011

Here we are on the eve of Thanksgiving day, are you ready? I am, for the most part. I've been commanded by a certain someone to, "take it easy." It seems to be one of his favorite phrases these days. Thing is, I don't really like to take it easy, I like to get things done. This same someone even suggested that I not make pie for tomorrow!! He's obviously lost his mind.

I think I promised a while back that I'd do a better job of sharing my monthly scrapbook.com pages and projects with you. Here is a simple last minute card idea, in case you need one:

The floral paper is from Crate Paper's Farmhouse collection and it's called, Countryside

I think it is so pretty, and it's one of my favorite patterns this fall. I love the color combination of blue, orange, green, and red.

Finally, because Advent is right around the corner, and it is the season of getting ready, I wanted to link to two of my favorite posts on the topic. The first is one from Leila at Like Mother, Like Daughter, which I linked to last year, on the wonder of Advent and how to instill some of that in our homes. The second is from Karen Edmisten and is a continuation of her no-panic Advent series. It's a huge post with lots of links, ideas and resources and I just love it. I think you might too, which is why I'm sharing it with you!

We got out the Advent wreath last week to make sure we knew where it was, and I tried to get candles this week, but the place where I bought them last year didn't have them this year. So, this weekend I've got to find some. If I can't find colored ones, I'll just go with cream like I have in the past. I really try not to stress about these things.

November 19, 2011

I'm hosting the blog today at Write.Click.Scrapbook. The third Saturday of the month is all about scrapbook inspiration. Today we're sharing a sketch, a printable, and some Thanksgiving-themed images and prints.

Here is the sketch I created for this month:

If you'd like a fully-layered digital template of this sketch, you'll find the link in today's post.

Using the sketch, I created this layout documenting my favorite fall tradition, our annual trip to the pumpkin patch:

November 18, 2011

First of all, I didn't mean to announce that I was pregnant and then never blog again. I guess I needed a little break this past weekend, and week, so I took one! But, I've got a lot that I want to share in the next few weeks and I am going to do my best to juggle all of my commitments and to post regularly through the holiday season. I really, really am.

So, now then, about those goals. No, I haven't forgotten about them. How could I? They're sitting there in my sidebar staring at me, reminding me of all that I probably won't get done this year. When I revisited these goals back in January, I could not have foreseen how my how much my life would change in just a few short days. It's actually a bit difficult to write about this without thinking about that time, and that's probably why I put off writing this post for so long. I mean, it's mid-November and obviously not everything on this list is going to get done. For a really large part of this year I merely focused on doing the most basic and necessary things. Yes, I have still scrapbooked, it's the one extra that I really won't let go. But all the other stuff? I just didn't worry about it.

But most, if not all, of these goals are things that I would like to try at some point. Just because I don't get them done this year doesn't mean I have failed, or that I can't do them at some point. In fact, I plan on carrying over some of these goals into the new year. Another truth is that I often get sidetracked... maybe I didn't get around to doing everything on this list, but I've learned and done a lot in the past year. I sewed more, I learned new recipes, and I tried to push myself out of some personal and creative comfort zones. In that way, it has been a good year.

So, here is a brief (or not so brief) update on my goals list:

1. Make mayonnaise from scratch - raw eggs and pregnancy don't mix. Or at least, I'm not willing to take that chance. This will be a goal for next year.

3. Learn how to make cannoli - my husband thinks I'm crazy, but I'm going to try to make these for Christmas. Something we both love about going to New Jersey is getting real, authentic cannoli. We would have one every night after the boys would go to bed (shhh, don't tell!) I'm gonna make sure that tradition continues. =)

4. Make Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon - gonna have to tell my sweets not to read this post, I plan on making this for his birthday (which is coming up soon) and I'd like for it to be a surprise.

5. Roast a pig with crackling - I did this back in March. The results were not worth writing about. In fact, the whole experiment was rather disappointing. The pork itself was good, but the crackling didn't turn out. I *think*, but I don't know for sure, that the pork I got must have been much bigger/older than what you need for the recipe and method I was using. It's not something that I'll likely try again. You cannot even buy pork with the skin on it in most grocery stores. The Whole Foods here doesn't sell it nor did any other grocer we called. We had to go to a specialty butcher shop which was quite a drive away from us to find it. That part was fun actually, and was about the only good thing that resulted from this goal.

7. Learn how to make creamy egg sauce for donburi - I'm working on this one. I'll update, someday, with the results and process.

8. Make gyoza from scratch - I'm making these for New Year's Eve. My mom always made lumpia and fried gyoza on New Year's Eve. I'm thinking we'll start a similar tradition.

10. Make homemade udon - I don't think this is a goal that will get accomplished anytime soon. In fact, it's off the list for 2012.

11. Make green tea ice cream - I actually made a batch this summer. The only person who really loved it was Gabe! I do want to make it again, but with a different recipe. It will have to wait until next summer though, and then hopefully I'll remember to share the results with you. =)

12. Make miso soup - I'm making this to go with the gyoza on New Year's Eve.

13. Find a recipe for good tempura batter - a goal for next year.

14. Learn more about Indian cooking- I think I can say that I've made progress on this front. I certainly know more about Indian cooking now than I did at the beginning of the year. I'm gonna cross it off my list, but I am in no way finished with this one. There is still so much to learn.

15. Find a recipe I truly like for Chana Masala - I tweaked and simplified this recipe from smitten kitchen, and I am finally happy with my version of Chana Masala. I'll try to share my modified version with you at some point.

17. Make Rogan Josh- I've made this with pork, but I'd like to make this with lamb. I need to find a good supplier though.

20. Make Aloo Gobhi - still haven't found a recipe that I want to try. At first I thought I would make the recipe from Jamie's Food Revolution, but I don't think that one is going to give me the results I'm looking for based on other Indian inspired recipes I've made from his book. The search continues.

26. Find a *good* recipe for traditional American-style cinnamon rolls - I'm working on this one too. I actually made a batch of cinnamon rolls last weekend

28. Make a quilt - I don't know when this will happen. I'd like to try to make a small baby quilt for Samuel. I know that once I get started I will probably find it rather intuitive and wonder why it took me so long to just get to it. But, I have so many other things that I want/need to do. I'm a bit on the fence about this one...

30. Submit to Cards magazine - I'm happy to say that I finally did this just last week. I'm even happier to say that I had two cards picked up for the April 2012 issue! And because this post needs more photos, here is a card I made recently using one of my favorite collections, 100 Days of Summer

33. Finish reading “The Catholic Homeschool Companion” - While I didn't read the entire book, I have read the chapters/essays that I felt were relevant to our home and situation. I'm considering this goal accomplished.

Phew! I finally got this post finished. I really have been putting it off for some time now (think months). Don't have too much more to add right now. I'm looking forward to the weekend. It's going to be cloudy and cold and I think it will be just right for baking cookies, wearing comfy pants and socks, and getting cozy with all of my boys. I think some hot cocoa might be in order too. =)

November 8, 2011

I've been putting off writing this post for some time now. I suppose I just haven't been able to find the words that can adequately express my feelings on the subject. Happy doesn't quite do them justice.

It might come as a surprise (or perhaps not! given my general lack of blogging the last few months), but I am already quite far along, 24.5 weeks. Baby and I are both doing well. Given our past history, this pregnancy has been more closely monitored and we have had regular ultrasounds to track his growth. This little one is growing bigger and stronger each day. Lately, he keeps me up some nights with his kicking, but of course, I don't mind. I cannot tell you how much I love those little kicks, even when they cause me heartburn. =)

Although things are progressing well, I would still welcome and ask for your prayers. If you'd like, you can pray for him by name, Samuel.

November 2, 2011

These days it seems as though I am always behind. Life has been so busy for us lately and there is so much to share, but I feel like there is simply not enough time to share it. For example, we've had three doctor's appointments within the last six days. No, no one is sick. But maybe you can get the idea? Things are just not quite normal and it's taking a little bit of a toll. I typically blog at night, after the boys have gone to bed. Lately, by the time the evening comes I am completely worn out. So, today is my attempt to catch-up a little. And as always, it's easiest to catch-up on the scrapbooking front, so that's what I'm gonna do.

This week has been my turn to host the blog at Write.Click.Scrapbook. I started off on Monday with a compilation post of the collective's favorite Halloween layouts and crafts. A great post to visit if you're looking for some inspiration for those recent photos of trick-or-treating. The rest of the week I'm looking at projects that challenge or inspire you to scrapbook your year. On day one we covered Project 12 and Project 365. Day two was all about Project Life and the Document Project. I asked some of my favorite scrapbookers to help with this week's posts. It's been really interesting to see how they all tackle these various projects and make them their own.

Nathan just turned three in September, and while we have thought of him as our baby for so long, the reality is, he is turning into such a big boy. And goodness, you should hear the things he says! He sort of knows already how to be a clown. I have scrapbooked lots of photos from his first days, but I have never scrapbooked this photo, his very first. I thought given this month's gallery theme and the timing of his recent birthday that this was a good opportunity to finally use this photo, and write down a few thoughts about how quickly the time seems to pass and how much we love this little boy.

Tomorrow is give.away.day at WCS, and then on Friday I'll be back to finish up my week of blogging. I'm also planning a five for Friday post here. I'm thinking you won't want to miss that one. =)

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About Me

I am a wife, and a mother to four boys (our sweet Michael rests in peace with our Heavenly Father). We are expecting a little girl in March of 2015.
I love spending time with my family, and making our house a home. I can start my day without coffee, but I don't like to. My interests include learning about my Catholic faith, cooking, photography, sewing, and I should confess, I spend an inordinate amount of my free time scrapbooking.

Why ecclesia domestica?

The title of this blog is inspired by an expression which calls the family the domestic church.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "In our own time, in a world often alien and even hostile to faith, believing families are of primary importance as centers of living, radiant faith. For this reason the Second Vatican Council, using an ancient expression, calls the family the ecclesia domestica. It is in the bosom of the family that parents are "by word and example...the first heralds of the faith with regard to their children." paragraph 1656

Here I share stories and photos from my family's adventures, as well as my love for documenting those memories through scrapbooking.